1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an automatic circuit adjusting system which performs testing and adjustment of the circuit. The invention also relates to a circuit adjusting tool for performing automatic adjustment of the circuit. More specifically, the invention relates to an automatic circuit adjusting system and tool thereof which rotatingly adjust circuit elements, such as volume potentiometers and so forth in a printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Background Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,334, issued on May 17, 1983, to Kazushi Tateishi et al, discloses an Apparatus for Driving Pulse Motors for Automatically Adjusting External Circuits. The apparatus has a plurality of circuit adjusting tool, such as screw-drivers, for rotatingly adjusting circuit elements, such as volume potentiometers and so forth, on printed circuit boards. Each of the circuit adjusting tools is fixedly located at a position corresponding to the orientation of an associated circuit element of the printed circuit board to be adjusted. In order to rotatingly adjust the associated circuit element, each circuit adjusting tool is operated by a pulse motor which is independently operative of the other circuit adjusting tools. Operations of the pulse motors are controlled by means of a microprocessor. The microprocessor applies a test signal to the printed circuit board and compares the output data with predetermined standard data to derive control signals for respective pulse motors to drive associated circuit adjusting tools so as to adjust the circuit to output the output data matching the predetermined standard data in response to the test data.
Such automatic circuit adjusting apparatus as set forth above is effective in adjusting circuit elements in printed circuit boards. However, on the other hand, such conventional apparatus is suitable for performing adjustment only for a specific structure of printed circuit board. Namely, the apparatus can adjust only printed circuit boards having an arrangement of the circuit elements corresponding to the arrangement of the adjusting tools. When the arrangement of the circuit elements of the printed circuit boards is modified, corresponding rearrangment is required for the circuit adjusting tools. Furthermore, as set forth above, since the conventional apparatus employs a plurality of pulse motors so that each operates an associated circuit adjusting tool, the appartus becomes bulky and expensive.